Bill Murray has recalled that his late co-star Gene Hackman was a “tough nut” on set of their 2001 film The Royal Tenenbaums.

The Ghostbusters star has claimed the two-time Oscar-winning actor, who was found dead in his home on Wednesday, gave director Wes Anderson a hard time while making the film and he sometimes had to defend his frequent collaborator.

“He was a tough nut, Gene Hackman. But he was really good,” Murray said in an interview with the Associated Press. “And he was really difficult, we can say it now, but he was a tough guy. Older, great actors do not give young directors much of a chance. They’re really rough on them, and Gene was really rough on Wes. I used to kind of step in there and just try to defend my friend.”

The comedy-drama, Anderson’s third feature, starred Hackman as the family patriarch, Royal O’Reilly Tenenbaum, alongside Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson as his fictional family. Murray played Paltrow’s neurologist husband.

Murray recalled one time on set when Hackman pulled off a scene perfectly but had to do around 25 takes because his screen partner kept making mistakes.

“I was watching it going, ‘No wonder this guy wants to throttle people,” he recalled.

In a separate interview on The Drew Barrymore Show, the Groundhog Day star noted that he saw what The French Connection actor “was going through” on the set.

“I sympathise with Gene because to him, Wes Anderson was just a punk kid and Gene’s made some of the greatest American movies. So he was a little irritable,” Murray shared. “He just felt a lot of responsibility and kept thinking, ‘What am I doing here with these people?’ But the performance he gives is brilliant.”

Murray added that he believes Hackman realised he “acted like a jerk” when he saw the finished film and realised it was good.

Concluding his tribute, he said, “So goodbye, Gene, I hope you’re well, wherever you are.”

The 95-year-old actor, his wife Betsy Arakawa and one of their dogs were found dead in their New Mexico home. Their deaths are currently being investigated by police.

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